Many dance and gymnastics coaches rely heavily on static stretching for their athletes, and in some cases require those stretches to be held for 10-30 minutes at a time. In addition, most gymnasts begin training when they're very young as their joints and capsules are incredibly tolerant to stressors and they can get much more mobile young than they can old. If you were able to be very mobile when you were young, there's a much better chance of being mobile when you're older, and especially so if you can pass basic hyper mobility testing.
However, if too much stretch loading is applied to muscles, tendinopathy can result. If too much compressive loading into bones is applied, bone spur formation could result. If on the hips or shoulders, it's called impingement, and may need to be removed surgically to restore range of motion. Each person will have a different threshold, so tread lightly.
Many trainers emphasize lengthening muscle tissues that seem short and tight. However, precise alignment and proper breathing also deliver results that have little to do with stretching and create lasting increases in functional mobility, stability, and mental stamina. This benefits individuals by:
1. activating/inhibiting muscles;
2. using the diaphragm; and
3. initiating their parasympathetic nervous system.
Because many of the positions require multi-planar movement in a controlled manner or positional hold, demanding perfect alignment in those poses forces individuals out of compensation patterns. Taking them out of these patterns activates muscles that have been dysfunctional dormant, and inhibits the overactive compensators (effectively turning off the tension). It's the activation and inhibition initiated, not stretching, that actually helps individuals become more mobile.
When an individual simply stretches chronically tight, overactive muscles, without correcting the cause of the over activity, there may be temporary relief, but increased risk of tearing the muscle and increasing potential for injury. There may also be reduced strength and power, since the individual has likely been using that muscle as a primary source of movement in their sport.
In addition, proper diaphragm use and breathing biomechanics are not only paramount for leveraging the autonomic nervous system but also facilitating integrated core strength, pelvic floor function, shoulder girdle integrity, shoulder mobility, and more.
Consider the most popular, traditional strength and conditioning movements—the ones we love to do (i.e., squats, bench presses, bicep curls, crunches, etc.). What do they all have in common? The sagittal plane. And that's where too many athletes place their training effort, despite the fact that most sports require multi-planar movement (i.e., think of a baseball or golf swing). Consequently, athletes learn to compensate through powerful multi-planar movements in their sport by using the muscles they've strengthened in the weight room.
Understanding this phenomenon, we can better identify the contributing factors to areas of chronic tension and leverage the method to concentrate on specific activation of the muscles that have been inhibited (agonists and synergists) by the tense area's over activity/compensation. In this way, reciprocal inhibition can be used to not only relieve tension, but also to restore kinetic chain firing and functional range of motion. Stretching, alone, can't accomplish that.
In terms of using this information to your advantage in the gym, you can go about it two different ways depending on your goal set. If you're looking for smashing heavier weights in something like a dead lift or a squat, using a fast, plyometric type jump activity immediately prior may be beneficial. If you're looking to sprint or produce maximal velocity contractions, using some relatively heavy loading with a focus on the hardest contractions against the load could be beneficial. This is justification for using the resistance harness and bands in more specific rotational movements.
Studies show that employing the method immediately before performance of a particular movement, golf, baseball swing, archery, discus, etc. improves that specific performance. The main physiological reason for this was to create that excitatory neural response through the muscles, develop a stretch-shortening cycle that would produce a new H-wave of contraction to assist the conscious contraction mechanisms, and essentially help the individual improve “overall” but specific multi muscles against ground reaction forces and resistance of that restive sort or functional movement. pull more weight; much like the countercurrent arm swing would help the vertical jump itself.
This pre-activation can have a massive effect on how one will perform; or rehab, because it stimulates the nervous system to deliver more of a contractile impulse, a faster rate of neural delivery, and an excitatory impulse that can't simply be achieved with conscious contraction alone.
The goal is loaded max velocity contractions, trying to increase how much neural activity is going through the muscles to get a carryover effect to the specific, respective sport movements.
Similarly, the individual could do the method which would improve speed contractions by producing heavy hard contractions prior to speed work. Reaction time, balance, mobility and coordination of movements are enhanced for “any” speed applications.
This increased drive and contraction force leads to faster actions when unloaded during the swing, throwing, sprinting work, and resulted in better times.
Utilizing the method of invention as a neural primer, is a big key to work on activation, and is a carry over to performance benefits.
These neural drive exercises can be a highly valuable addition to any training program that's focusing on performance outcomes like more overall stability, mobility in any sport to the specific nature of multi planar movements. The biomechanical patterns of throwing, sprinting, swinging, agility, stops starts, are all improved though the method of invention.
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), in 2010, lower back strains were the most common reported reason for ER visits relating to yoga. This may be because the sequences of some popular yoga styles feature poses that feed into compensatory back-extension patterns by promoting hyperextension, and counter them with stretches encouraging extreme low-back flexion. Understandably, that combination of movements can be especially dangerous for anyone with a tight lower back.
Individuals with low-back tension usually have excessive anterior pelvic tilts that contribute to in-creased lumbar lordosis. Overactive hip flexors holding the pelvic tilt and inhibit glute firing, which then forces back extensors to compensate as hip extensors.
If we just stretch the low back, which often isn't even possible because the back extensors can't release, we are not fixing the problem because the low back will immediately reengage in response to the hip flexors pulling on the pelvis. And, as the ER-visit data shows, we could strain the low back in the process.
Instead, it may be more beneficial to start with movements that promote glute activation and hip flexor inhibition, like bridging, while maintaining pressure in the lateral heels and medial arches to facilitate glute and adductor engagement. Avoid lifting into back extension. Inhale as you lift your pelvis. Exhale to bring your pelvis down. If the knees bow out or you have trouble maintaining medial arch awareness, hold a foam yoga block or ball between your legs to ensure adductor engagement.
All muscles contract due to signals sent from the nervous system. There are ways to take advantage of built in reflex loops that can cause muscle contraction without conscious thought, much like how you would pull your hand back from a hot stove before even realizing it's hot, and how individuals with spinal cord injuries and who are essentially paralyzed can still have muscle spasms in their legs as a protective measure.
Certain researchers have looked at electric stimulation of motor units in stroke patients, comparing their affected side to their non-affected side and to healthy controls and have found the stimulation to the affected side still produced a motor unit activation, but in a slightly delayed manner on compared to both the healthy controls and the non-affected side, and wasn't reproduced with simple skin brushing.
In terms of how a motor unit creates an action potential, or a muscle contraction, the sequenced actions of contraction can be summed up as depicted in FIG. 1.
The initial part is the muscle seeing a change in polarity due to the incoming neural impulse, and depends mostly on the position of the probe in relation to where the motor endplate is located. The first spike is when the end plate of the motor unit sees the first depolarization, or in other words the first muscle contraction. There are usually multiple spikes, which help to extend the duration of the contraction without being a constant signal.
The terminal part is a repolarization of the muscle, preparing for the next contraction. Depending on the individual, this phase could be very quick (solid recovery and high work capacity) or very long (detrained and not good at recovering from exertion).
The present invention provides an improved successful method for increasing core stability and flexibility. However, while creating stability locally through the core, the present invention also improves muscle activation/inhibition sequencing which improves flexibility, strength, and motor learning, throughout the entire body.
The sliding filament theory describes how a muscle contracts. At a very basic level each muscle fiber is made up of smaller fibers called myofibrils. These contain even smaller structures called actin and myosin filaments. These filaments slide in and out between each other to form a muscle contractions, hence called the sliding filament theory.
Here is what happens in greater detail:
A) An impulse arrives at the neuromuscular junction, which causes a release of a chemical called Acetylcholine. This causes the depolarization of the motor end plate which travels through the muscle via the transverse tubules, causing Calcium to be released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
B) The Calcium binds to Troponin (an actin-binding protein which regulates muscle contraction), changing its shape and so moving Tropomyosin (complex of three proteins, attached to Tropomyosin) from the active site of the Actin. The Myosin filaments can now attach to the Actin, forming a cross-bridge.
The breakdown of ATP releases energy which enables the Myosin to pull the Actin filaments inwards and so shortening the muscle. This occurs along the entire length of every myofibril in the muscle cell.
The Myosin detaches from the Actin when an ATP molecule binds to the Myosin head. When the ATP is then broken down the Myosin head can again attach to an Actin binding site further along the Actin filament and repeat the “power stroke.” This repeated pulling of the Actin over the myosin is often known as the ratchet mechanism.
This process of muscular contraction can last for as long as there is adequate ATP and calcium stores. Once the impulse stops the Calcium is pumped back to the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum and the Actin returns to its resting position causing the muscle to lengthen and relax.
The key to creating movement intelligence is to be consciously aware of movements, and of the information the body is absorbing. To do this, stimuli are created to elicit a movement reaction through a variety of tasks or exercises. As skill improves, more stimuli are needed to continue improvement. This type of exercise planning involves integration of the mind and body, combining balance, strength and quickness. The result is a heightened ability to make spur-of-the-moment decisions about what is needed capabilities are in any given situation.
Most sports require rotational movements, under the influence of gravity in a three-dimensional environment. If the exercises in any program do not contribute to, or directly enhance the athlete's ability to maintain his or her center of gravity over their base of support the functional carry-over is likely to be minimal.
Most sports also require the performance of highly technical movements while maintaining the athlete's center of gravity over his or her base of support. The inability to maintain a center of gravity during the movements will reduce the chances of maintaining an optimal rotational axis, and limit the rhythm senses of muscle intensity and angular movements, thereby reducing the chances of performing with any consistency.
Additional claims by the method of invention are based on the inherent benefits to reducing physical limitations that present in specific movement positions, sport specific positions and performance technique. Increased rehabilitation protocols, exercise training, sports conditioning programs, and subsequent sport performance, all place increased mechanical changes on the body. Given certain disabilities, i.e. an amputee, these mechanical demands are exacerbated. The most significant improvements for overall performance of any movement is through “neuro-muscular training.”
A perfect example is in the rapid rotation of the upper arm at the shoulder joint of an overhead athlete; throwing a baseball, performing a tennis overhand stroke, swinging a bat, or golf club, throwing a shot or javelin. It is the result of the internal rotator muscles (i.e. latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major, subscapularis, teres major, and anterior deltoid, pulling on their respective attachment to the upper arm. In order to provide for optimal shoulder joint function and generate the high speed rotation of the upper arm, the shoulder muscles need to coordinate forces to the upper arm and shoulder blade. These forces and torque load the “body” which, as a result, may lead to injury if not controlled correctly.
Since multiple muscles are involved in the muscle-tendon structure at each joint, and multiple joints (multiple muscles) are involved with rotation in sports performance, the method of invention addresses the key issue of how the total force and torque load are distributed among the muscles. The method of invention considers the distribution dependent forces on the motion of the foot, AND the position AND the motion of the entire body, with respect to mobility, activation/inhibition, balance, strength and spatial awareness.
The method of invention stresses proper biomechanics which not only paramount for leveraging the autonomic nervous system, but also facilitating integrated core strength, pelvic floor function, ankle, knee, hips shoulder, wrists, neck girdle integrity, mobility, and more.
Because many of the positions require multi-planar movement in a controlled manner or positional hold, demanding perfect alignment in those positions forces students out of compensation patterns. Taking them out of these patterns activates muscles that have been dysfunctionally dormant, and inhibits the overactive compensators (effectively turning off the tension). It is the activation and inhibition initiated, not stretching, that actually helps students become more mobile.
When you simply stretch chronically tight, overactive muscles—without correcting the cause of the over activity—you can provide temporary relief, but you risk tearing the muscle and increasing potential for injury. You might also reduce strength and power, since the individual has likely been using that muscle as a primary source of movement in their sport.
Take, as well, the sport of golf. Swinging the club is a whole body skill, requiring the understanding of the neuromuscular components of each body segment and its respective role in the performance of the swing. Considerable effort is required, at first, to train the specific action of the specific positions, balance and posture as the body becomes better educated as to how to work these muscle groups more efficiently. Each muscle group has a specific skill to perform. Once the basic skill set is learned, it can only then be integrated into the whole and more improved golf swing. Then with proper, more sport specific practice, the refinement of technique becomes more “practically” integrated into the more efficient golf swing. It will become more automatic with fewer unwarranted and invasive swing thoughts. The proper mental understanding of how the joints and muscles of the body work together to perform the golf swing is more easily attained.
The method described herein is based on the neurophysiology of how the brain controls the muscles, joints, and all soft tissue of the body. It is the brain that sends the message to move so the importance to this motor learning to produce a more efficient golf swing cannot be understated. Simply put, specific muscles move specific joint a specific way. The kinematic sequence is being trained more efficiently. Faulty swings are a direct result of some incompletion, interruption, or omission of the movement message from the brain to the anatomy involved in the completion of the swing.
A basic understanding of joint structure is important. Simply stated, a joint is formed when two bones come together. Skeletal muscles attached to the joint by tendon and held together by ligaments attaching bone-to-bone produce the movements of any joint. Because muscles originate on one bone and cross the joint to attach to another bone, the movements are meant to be directed in a certain way. You have primary movers, or agonists, and stabilizers called antagonists. They need to work together, synergistically, to produce any refined movements.
The actions of the golf swing are unique in that at no other time do we need to perform these actions in their specific kinematic sequence. In other word, your swing is like a fingerprint; it is unique to you. It cannot be trained unless it mimics the unique and specific neuro-physiological characteristics of your body.
Both static and dynamic forces can lead to improper biomechanics. Static forces involve the effects of gravity on muscles, joints, and bones. Golfers naturally stand in a sway back posture, with their pelvic girdle forward of the line of gravity. Most often, the golfer will have a lengthened external oblique and shortened rectus abdominus. This leads to decreased demand on the hip extensor muscles and results in significant atrophy of the glutei muscles, setting the golfer up for stress to the hip and spine.
Improper static alignment or posture at address position continues to cause biomechanical problems when dynamic forces are initiated (swing the golf club); by creating moments that will cause joint misalignment. These moments—as well as the frequent patterns of movement—can become factors in the movement system imbalances, as they lead to changes in the recruitment pattern of muscles. This in turn will alter swing performance and cause a change in the pattern of joint movement in each swing phase. These altered changes can create micro trauma to soft tissue arising form compensatory movements.
The method described herein can help reduce these compensatory movements by practicing frequent, deliberate and efficient movement patterns in an optimal and dynamically balanced posture.
Increases in muscle extensibility observed immediately after stretching and after short-term (3 to 8-week) stretching programs are due to an alteration of sensation only and not to an increase in muscle length. This theory is referred to as the sensory theory throughout this article because the change in subjects' perception of sensation is the only current explanation for these results. The method of invention improves this phenomenon of alteration to sensation.
Note the very interesting and sensible phrasing, “the only current explanation.” That's a very Sherlock Holmesian way of putting it: “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” It's a strange, cool, and unexpected conclusion . . . but it's also all we've got left, so we should probably take it seriously.
Increased flexibility may simply be an increased tolerance for the discomfort of excessive muscle elongation. The neuro-physiology of the method, the proprioceptive enhancements of pliable discs, and pliable bands,
Muscle (probably) doesn't change, especially in response to an average stretching regimen, but our willingness to elongate it probably does. Going with this theory, elongation must normally be limited by a strict neurological edict. The brain and spinal cord decree: you're only going to lengthen your muscles so far, period, end of discussion. It's not a negotiation . . . at least not in the short term. Don't make the mistake of thinking you could just blast through that barrier with will power.
There is a strong analogy here to strength: we always have much greater muscle power available than we can safely use. We have deep reserves that are literally impossible to tap into on short notice, without large squirts of adrenalin. Contractions are normally reined in by the brain. Even with a powerful grunt of effort, only a small fraction of your muscle fibers get a signal to contract at any one time. If you recruited all of them, you might rip the muscle off your bones, or at least completely exhaust yourself in seconds. Your central nervous system has excellent reasons for imposing a power limit. Full contraction is for dramatic, obvious, life and death situations only.
However, with training, we can learn to recruit more fibers. In fact, when people train their muscles, early strength gains may be mainly a matter of learning to “recruit” more muscle fibers at once. However, recruiting them in correct bio-mechanically/functionally proper positions is the key.
Here's an interesting example from science of how increasing flexibility may be more of a nervous system “hack” than a matter of changing tissue. It appears that if you just add some vibration, even already flexible gymnasts can get a surprising boost in flexibility. Researchers have demonstrated that vibration could enhance flexibility.”
Discs and pliable harnesses, smart stick and tubing equipment offers this same “vibrating” phenomenon when used in the manner described herein.
Rochester et al., “The influence of eccentric contractions and stretch on alpha motor neuron excitability in normal subjects and subjects with spasticity,” Electromyogr. Clin. Neurophysiol., Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 171-177 (04/2001), describes that the application of eccentric contractions and muscle stretch are clinically effective in reducing spasticity and increasing ROM, which may be explained by a change in the excitability of motor neurons supplying the spastic muscle. Excitability of motor neurons can be indirectly assessed using the H-reflex.
Gabriel et al., “Neural adaptations to resistive exercise: mechanisms and recommendations for training practices,” Sports Med. Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 133-149 (2006) describes that neural factors play an important role in muscle strength gains. This article reviews the neural adaptations in strength, with the goal of laying the foundations for practical applications in sports medicine and rehabilitation.
Eccentric contractions are the opposite of concentric contractions. The muscle contracts but increases in length. This type of contraction occurs usually in the direction of gravity, to control a movement. For example, using the biceps curl exercise—as the arm is slowly straightened from the bent position, the Biceps Brachii muscle contracts eccentrically to control the downward movement and increase the angle at the joint.
Eccentric contractions are much more challenging on the muscle and so should be used in the late stages of rehabilitation only. However, they are very important in the rehabilitation of many injuries, especially for hamstring strains and Achilles tendinopathy.
The method of invention, with the rotational multiple movements, mobility, stability against resistance increase this neuro-physiological phenomenon.